New labor super PAC doesn't have fundraising goal

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the labor federation doesn’t have a specific fundraising goal for its new super PAC, but the union chief predicted the political arm will generate enough cash to “build the power of America’s silent majority,” the middle class and the poor.

Mr. Trumka, speaking at a press briefing Wednesday, said the super PAC will be an independent organization that will expand the labor group’s influence to all workers, even those who aren’t members.

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“It will not directly fund political or politicians’ campaigns, nor will it match the endless flow of cash from corporations,” Mr. Trumka told reporters.

American Crossroads, a high-profile super PAC aligned with conservatives, has set a goal of raising $120 million ahead of next year’s election. The group, backed by Republican strategist Karl Rove, was credited with helping the GOP sweep last fall’s midterm elections, spurring some Democrats to form their own political committees.

Mr. Trumka said the union federation’s PAC will enable the labor movement to be involved in advocacy year-round as opposed to immediately before a given election.

“We’ll take them wherever they come from,” Mr. Trumka said when asked whether the AFL-CIO expects to rely on small or large donations.

Most of the money raised from union members are likely to be small-dollar amounts, he added.

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About the Author

Kara Rowland, White House reporter for The Washington Times, is a D.C.-area native. She graduated from the University of Virginia, where she studied American government and spent nearly all her waking hours working as managing editor of the Cavalier Daily, UVa.’s student newspaper.

Her interest in political reporting was piqued by an internship at Roll Call the summer before her ...